The rapid evolution of trade around the world (globalization) creates a significant demand for packaging in order to transfer/distribute goods to different remote areas. The transport of goods may be done by: ship, airplanes, trucks, and so on. The transport of goods may be performed by: the manufacturer; different suppliers; individual persons; etc. Further, a significant demand for different brochures, flyers, etc., also takes part in trade. The different brochures/flyers may have pre-folds and/or embossing, for example. Embossing such as, but not limited to Braille writing.
Packaging of products for shipping, display and protection takes on a major role in the market today. The package in which the goods are packed and presented, in a store for example, may determine if the goods will be appealing to a potential buyer in the store or not. Thus the packaging appearance can have a direct effect on the sales of merchandise. The brochures, flyers, and so on may also contribute to the sales/awareness with regards to a product and/or service etc.
Henceforth, throughout the description, drawings and claims of the present disclosure, the terms package, paperboard box, parcel, box, carton box, cardboard box, brochure, flyers, etc. may be used interchangeably. The present disclosure may use the term package as a representative term for the above group as well as variants thereof.
A known preliminary requirement, in order to construct a package, is preparing or purchasing a pre-treated cardboard and/or paper based material. Paper based material may be of different types. Exemplary types may be: waxed paper, cartridge paper, art paper, etc. Henceforth, throughout the description, drawings and claims of the present disclosure, the terms cardboard, card-stock, display board, corrugated fiberboard, paperboards of different paper based material, folding boxboard, carton, blanks, plastic sheet, film, and so on, may be used interchangeably. The present disclosure may use the term cardboard as a representative term for the above group.
The pre-treatment of a cardboard may include the following acts: creating folding lines along the cardboard to ease or assist in the folding of the cardboard and provide accurate folding of the cardboard; piercing the cardboard in different areas; creating embossments in different areas of the cardboard; cutting the raw cardboard into predefined profiles; and so on. Henceforth, throughout the description, drawings and claims of the present disclosure, the terms pre-folded cardboard, and pre-treated cardboard may be used interchangeably. The present disclosure may use the term pre-treated cardboard as a representative term for the above group.
Some common techniques for preparing a pre-treated cardboard include the acts of placing the cardboard between dies. Known dies include a steel-rule die and a counter-die. The steel-rule die may include a variety of different types of dies. Exemplary types of dies can be: a cutting-die; a creasing-die; an embossing-die; a scoring-die; a combination of the different types of dies; and so on. The steel-rule die body is usually a hard-wood-based material. Exemplary hard-wood-based material may be: plywood, maple wood, etc. Other exemplary materials for construction of the steel-rule die body may be: plastic, metal, fabric, etc. The body material is required to have a high-dimension stability and a high-grade and be without voids or other imperfections.
Jammed deeply and firmly into a plurality of pre-made slots inside the steel-rule die's body is a plurality of steel-rules. The pre-made slots hold the steel-rules in place during the production of the steel-rule die. Further, the pre-made slots support the steel-rule during the operation of the cutting/creasing/embossing of numerous cardboards. The steel-rules are usually cut and bent blades made of hardened steel, for example. Usually, around the steel-rules, a plurality of ejection (rebound) rubbers needs to be placed and glued. Without the ejection rubber the cardboard may tend to get stuck amongst the steel rules.
The counter-die comprises a body. The body is usually a hard-wood-based material. Other exemplary material may be: plastic, metal, fabric, etc. Commonly, a plurality of trenches is grooved in the counter-die. The location and structure of the trenches is required to fit precisely to the location and structure of the steel-rules of the steel-rule die.
Known common techniques of manufacturing steel-rule dies include the acts of: preparing slots in the die's body (the wood for example) for the steel-rules. This is commonly done by a station using lasers or a special handsaw, for example. Next a specialist cuts and bends the steel rule and positions them into the slots in the body of the die. Typically, the specialist is a highly trained technician that has spent considerable time learning the trade. The positioning requires hammering the steel-rules deeply into the slots. Adjustments of the height of the steel-rule protruding from the body of the die are usually required as well. A specialist will then need to glue a plurality of ejection rubbers around the steel-rules.
Known common techniques of manufacturing the counter-dies include several actions. For example, during the production of the counter-die one or more inexpensive materials (often referred to as inserts) may be associated to the counter-die's body. The inserts may be associated to the body by screws, nails, re-positional adhesive, etc. The inserts may be made of phenolic-resin, paper, fabric, as non-limiting examples. The inserts may include grooves or trenches in it. The inserts are positioned so that their grooves/trenches are aligned/centered with the corresponding steel-rules of the steel-rule die. The alignment/centering of the inserts is usually performed by a specialist.
A trial cutting/creasing/embossing operation can then be made between the steel-rule die and the counter-die, together with a sheet of paper-based material between them, for example. If the alignment/centering is not satisfactory, the specialist detaches the inserts from the counter die and re-positions them. If the alignment/centering is satisfactory, the specialist can groove trenches in the counter die's body precisely where the trenches of the insets were and detach the inserts from the body. In alternate embodiments, the inserts with the trenches may be left on the counter die's body and act as the trenches.